Linking Words for IELTS: The Complete Guide (With Misuse Warnings)

Linking words signal the logical relationship between two ideas — that one adds to, contrasts with, causes, or follows another — and they are scored primarily under Coherence and Cohesion in both Speaking and Writing, a separate 25% criterion from Grammatical Range and Accuracy. That said, the two overlap in practice: a linking word used with the wrong grammar (a conjunction treated as a preposition, or vice versa) produces a genuine grammatical error, not just a cohesion weakness. This guide covers both angles — choosing the right linker for the logic, and building it into a grammatically correct sentence.

Examiners are trained to notice both underuse (ideas that jump around with no signalled connection) and overuse (a linker opening almost every sentence, especially the same one repeated). The goal is a natural density — enough linkers that the logic is easy to follow, not so many that they become the most noticeable feature of the writing.

Grouping linkers by the logical relationship they express, rather than memorising them as one long list, makes it far easier to choose the right one under exam pressure.

Different linkers behave grammatically differently, and mixing them up is one of the most common cohesion-related grammar errors. Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, so) sit between two independent clauses with only a comma before them: 'The scheme was expensive, but it succeeded.' Conjunctive adverbs (however, therefore, moreover) cannot join two clauses with just a comma — they need a semicolon or full stop before them and a comma after.

'The scheme was expensive, however it succeeded' is a comma splice with an adverb where a conjunction is needed; the corrected version is either 'The scheme was expensive; however, it succeeded' or two separate sentences. Subordinators (because, although, since) behave like conjunctions and can open the sentence, with a comma after the dependent clause if it comes first.

• The scheme was expensive, however it succeeded in cutting emissions.('however' cannot join two clauses with just a comma)
• The scheme was expensive; however, it succeeded in cutting emissions.
• Although the scheme was expensive, it succeeded in cutting emissions.(subordinator behaves like a conjunction)

Mistake 1: 'despite of' — despite never takes 'of'; it is either 'despite' or 'in spite of', never a blend of the two. Mistake 2: 'because of the fact that traffic is heavy' overcomplicates a simple subordinator relationship — 'because traffic is heavy' says the same thing more economically.

Mistake 3: opening every single body paragraph with 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Moreover' in strict sequence, which reads as a rehearsed template rather than genuine cohesion. Mistake 4: using 'Also' to open a formal sentence in academic writing, where 'In addition' or 'Furthermore' fits the register better. Mistake 5: treating 'despite' and 'although' as interchangeable in grammar — despite takes a noun or -ing form, although takes a full clause, and swapping their patterns produces an ungrammatical sentence.

• Despite of the rising costs, demand has stayed strong.(mistake 1 — 'despite' never takes 'of')
• Despite the rising costs, demand has stayed strong.
• Despite it is raining heavily, the marathon will go ahead as planned.(mistake 5 — despite needs a noun or -ing form, not a clause)
• Although it is raining heavily, the marathon will go ahead as planned.

Task 2 essays call for a consistently formal register, which rules out some perfectly correct spoken linkers: 'Also' and 'Plus' at the start of a sentence, 'But' as the very first word repeatedly, and 'So' used loosely to mean 'therefore' all read as under-formal in academic writing, even though every one of them is completely natural and appropriate in Speaking.

The safer formal equivalents — 'In addition', 'Furthermore', 'However', 'Consequently' — cost nothing extra to learn once you know the function-based groups in the table above, and using them consistently is one of the fastest ways to lift the formality of an essay without changing a single idea.

There's no fixed count, but a useful benchmark is one clear linking word or phrase per two to three sentences, concentrated at the points where the logical relationship genuinely needs signalling — not at the start of every sentence regardless of whether a connection exists. Coherence and Cohesion rewards logical flow that a linker makes visible, not the sheer quantity of linkers on the page.

A script with almost no linking words reads as disconnected; a script with one in every sentence reads as mechanically over-signposted. Both extremes cap the Coherence and Cohesion band, so the safest strategy is to add a linker only where removing it would genuinely make the logic harder to follow.